Ayurveda for allergies and sinus in San Ramon

Sneezing every spring, a nose that blocks on one side by evening, watery eyes, or sinus pressure that returns each season: allergies and sinus complaints are on Preeti Gupta's list of concerns. At Minute Wonder Ayurveda in San Ramon she looks at diet, season and routine, alongside your physician.

Preeti does not diagnose pathological conditions from a Western perspective, so her work sits alongside the care of your physician and never replaces it.

What Ayurveda looks at

In Ayurveda, mucus, congestion and heaviness are linked to kapha, which builds in cold, damp months and melts in spring. Preeti looks at:

• Season: when symptoms start, and whether they follow the thaw of late winter.

• Diet that adds mucus: cold drinks, heavy dairy, sugar and fried food.

• Digestion and sleep, including daytime naps, which her spring allergies post links with sluggishness.

What a First Visit covers

A First Visit is 90 minutes ($250). Preeti reviews your daily routine, diet, digestion, exercise and sleep, using a health history, pulse analysis and tongue diagnosis. For allergies and sinus, expect time on:

• Your symptoms across the year and what sets them off: pollen, dust, pets, food.

• Your allergy medicine, inhalers or sprays, which she notes and does not change.

• A seasonal food and routine plan, drawing on ideas from her post 8 Ways To Beat Spring Allergies With Ayurveda.

You leave with a written diet, herbal and lifestyle plan. Follow-ups are $125 for 60 minutes. See pricing.

What you can start this week

Two warm recipes from her pages:

• Cumin, coriander and fennel (CCF) tea. A warm spiced tea, simmered for 5 to 7 minutes. Check first if you are pregnant or nursing.

• Mustard greens (saag). Her page calls mustard greens pungent and light, balancing kapha and vata. Pitta types should eat less.

See your physician first if

• Wheezing, trouble breathing or tightness in the chest. Call 911 if it is severe.

• Swelling of the lips or throat, hives after eating, or any sign of a severe allergic reaction. Call 911.

• Sinus pain with fever or facial swelling, or symptoms that last beyond a few weeks.

Common questions about allergies and sinus

Does Preeti recommend Triphala or herbal teas?

Her spring allergies post discusses Triphala with honey and teas of ginger, tulsi and licorice. Whether any herb suits you depends on your health and medicines, so she decides with you at the visit.

Can I stop my antihistamine?

Do not change allergy medicine on your own. Preeti plans around it, and your physician decides what you take.

Is spring the best time to start?

Her post describes spring as a transition when kapha melts, so it is a natural time to look at routine. The best time to start is before symptoms do, or whenever you are ready.

Ayurveda is a traditional system of wellness and is not a substitute for medical care. Content here is educational. Please consult your physician about any medical condition. Preeti Gupta is not licensed by the State of California as a healing arts practitioner; Ayurvedic services are complementary to the care of licensed providers.